Music

Marty Jones says he’s comfortable fronting bands, something he’s been doing for three decades — but he’s scared to death of playing by himself. Jones, who’s led the roots and rockabilly groups the Great Unknowns and the Pork Boilin’ Poor Boys, respectively, says there’s nobody to hide behind when playing…

Punk legends Rancid and Dropkick Murphys are hitting the road on the From Boston to Berkeley Tour and will be playing Sculpture Park, in Denver, on Friday, August 11, at 7 p.m. “This is a dream come true for Dropkick Murphys,” said the band’s bassist Ken Casey, in a statement…

Wheelchair Sports Camp’s Kalyn Heffernan is panicked. The underground rapper whose first album came out in 2016 speedily booked the 2017 Wall to Wall Tour, which starts with a two-show Midwestern jaunt before a hometown show in Denver and then a giant West Coast loop that includes stops in Tijuana and…

Shakey Graves, the Revivalists, Cut Copy, Bob Moses and Coin will be headlining the 23rd annual Westword Music Showcase, set for Saturday, June 24, in the Golden Triangle, where they’ll be joined by 100 of Denver’s best acts. Tickets go on pre-sale today, Tuesday, March 7, at 10 a.m. The…

When it comes to punk, Johnny Wilson thinks of himself as a behind-the-scenes kind of guy. As bass player and backing vocalist for Denver band the Gamits and founder of the popular underground music­ website For the Love of Punk, that image seems a bit self-deprecating. But as the forty-something…

Indie sweethearts Tennis lit up the Bluebird Theater on Saturday, March 4, just days before the March 10 release of the duo’s latest album, Yours Conditionally. In a night filled with strong emotions, married couple Alaina Moore and Patrick Riley performed to a sold-out audience and had much to say about…

With one of the warmest Februarys on record, spring fever has hit earlier than expected. Your favorite DJs and electronic music artists are heating things up and filling up dates throughout March in the Mile High City.  If you’re looking to hit up a nightclub, dance in a large venue…

Vince Staples is the kind of dream star that doesn’t come along often in pop culture. Off stage, he’s witty, bantering about everything from cold pressed juice to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. To see pure Staples gold, check out this 2016 appearance on Bill Simmons’s ill-fated HBO talk show Any…

The last time Westword chatted with Havok frontman David Sanchez, the local metal titans were reeling after being unceremoniously ejected from a tour with Megadeth, after they rejected a management contract with Dave Mustaine’s son Justis. At the time, Sanchez said, “They wanted to get us on paper and lock…

Rapper Vince Staples brings his Life Aquatic Tour to the Gothic Theatre for a pair of nights this weekend while Tennis, who recently released Yours Conditionally on its new label, is at the Bluebird on Saturday night. This weekend’s lineup also includes the String Cheese incident at the Fox Theatre…

A few weeks ago, we noted that Jon Bon Jovi was seeking a Denver act to open for his band’s concert at Pepsi Center. Today, March 2, Live Nation announced the group has been picked: The Patti Fiasco — from Fort Collins. In a 2013 album review, Westword’s Jon Solomon…

Sickness has been going around lately, and famous musicians, well, they’re no exception. Anthony Kiedis, the front man of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, has come down with bronchitis, and the group has been forced to reschedule its Thursday, March 2, Denver gig. The new show will take place October 16,…

Jesu Berkeley, aka Deej Karbon, worried his daughter’s Denver elementary school had no music program, so he asked the principal if he could start teaching deejaying classes. The response: Sure, if you can find a way to fund it. Now, he’s running a Kickstarter campaign and hosting a March 4…

LVL UP put out one of the better indie rock records of 2016 with Return to Love. It is a disarmingly moving album, imbued with warmth and introspection. Though based in New York City, the four-piece band was founded at SUNY Purchase in 2011. The group started as a recording…

Depeche Mode plays at the Pepsi Center, on Friday, August 25, on its world tour in support of the band’s fourteenth studio album, Spirit, which will be released on March 17. While tickets ($39.50-$129.50) go on sale to the public on Friday, March 10, at 10 a.m., fans can register for…

Wilco and Death Cab for Cutie will headline Velorama, a three day music, shopping and food festival held in the River North Art District, August 11-13. Also on the bill: Saint Motel, La Santa Cecila and the New Pornographers. The event will take place as part of the Colorado Classic bicycle race, the…

Things are about to get wild for the Canadian rock group, Japandroids. After nearly five years between recordings, they’ve released a new album, Near To The Wild Heart Of Life, scheduled some touring and have found themselves more confident than ever in their singing and songwriting. The duo has not only found a renewed energy for…